Book Reviews Archives - Page 39 of 114

Book Review: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

Dec 13, 2018

Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) by Cassandra Clare

Pages: 912
Publish date: 4 December 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781471116704
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

What if damnation is the price of true love?

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks.

Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

Queen of Air and Darkness:

It’s taken me a while to write this review for a few reasons. The first being, I’m not sure how I fully feel. Queen of Air and Darkness was a hell of a ride and while I adored it, there were so many things that happened that change everything about the shadowhunter world. The second being, I just haven’t had time to get my thoughts down. But here we are now. I don’t even know where to begin with this review.

Just a warning, there will be spoilers from the previous two books in the series and the rest of the shadowhunter world. I have tried, hard not to spoil anything from Queen of Air and Darkness.

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare starts immediately after the end of Lord of Shadows. So you can guess that I was crying so hard in the first couple of chapters. And with the risks that present themselves throughout the novel, I was totally on high alert. There wasn’t any time for me to breath, because when I thought one bit was over – then a whole new thing began. Queen of Air and Darkness is intense, heartbreaking, but also so addicting. This series is by far my favourite of Clare’s and that is saying something. So many things have been elevated in this series including Clare’s writing and character development. I just keep on falling in love with this series over and over again.

Andrew Neel

Emma has been through a lot before Queen of Air and Darkness starts, and she isn’t really given a break in this one either. Emma is one of those protagonists that I can easily get along with. She is so easy to read and I loved seeing her grow not only through the series but through this book. Emma’s character arc is so well done and I couldn’t get enough of her. What I also love about Emma is that she is different from Cassandra Clare’s other female protagonists. While Tessa and Clary are both very strong characters, Emma has known she was a shadowhunter her whole life – it’s what she has been training for – so it makes her abilities and her sense of the world very different. It’s a nice contrast and I cannot wait to read more about Emma and the life that she takes.

Oh, Julian why do you like to hurt me? Why? Julian is a hurt soul, and while he might fight like a warrior, his heart is very soft. Not only has Julian had to look after himself, but has to grow up and look after his younger siblings. He has to become a father. And I don’t think he minded that too much, because he adores them, but that does play a lot into his character. Julian does some things in Queen of Air and Darkness that ruined me. It literally tore my heart out and stood on it. I understood why, but gosh did it hurt.

On their own Emma and Julian killed me, together they left me for dead. They were hurting already so much in this series, but Queen of Air and Darkness just tore it to pieces. If you thought the decision they make at the end of LoS was hard, the things that do in this one. I love Emma and Julian together so much, and they take forbidden love to a whole new level. There is something about Emma and Julian that make me so happy. They love each other no matter the faults, and they will do literally anything for one another. Even if it means leaving the world that they love behind.

Sweet Ice Cream Photography

There are many ups and downs throughout Queen of Air and Darkness and it isn’t just the relationship between Emma and Julian that is causing mayhem, but the shadowhunter world its self. So much that happens in this last book that plays a massive role is books to follow. There are so many changes coming that I can’t even begin to think what it means. One of my favourite things about Queen of Air and Darkness was that the reader is able to see old favourites. Clary and Jace, play a significant role in events that happen throughout the novel. Magnus and Alec again make their stance in the world.

While the Seelie and Unseelie courts play roles in other books by Cassandra Clare and even in the first two books of this series, they make their selves know in Queen of Air and Darkness. But they aren’t the only villains in this world and that scares me. The whole book the reader doesn’t know who to trust and while that makes it excited, it also makes it scary. The whole time you are waiting for something to explode.

Cassandre Clare does something really excited with Mark, Christian, and Kerien. I don’t want to go too much into here, but I’m intrigued by how she dealt with these three. I love them all. They are all intriguing and are able to stand out on their own. Their relationship is a game changer in YA I think. And I am excited to see what happens, or if I am just reading too much into it.

Amaury Salas

Kit, Ty and Dru, I just love these three. I can’t even begin with how much. Before the book, I knew that they would survive, but I didn’t know how much heartbreak Ty could go through in the meanwhile. He just lost his twin sister, his best friend. The one person that knows him better than anyone. But he can’t stop and grieve, because there is so much else going on. I think that might play into some of the things that he tries to do throughout Queen of Air and Darkness. Kit and Ty together, oh gosh, I am so not ready for the next series with them. Lucky I have a while to wait.

Throughout the novel when major things happen all I could think about is ‘what does this mean for the shadowhunter world.’ I don’t know what to think at the moment, and we won’t know for some time now. But this changes everything. And it’s going to be on hell of a ride. There are also so many more characters that I could talk about, Diego and Jamie in particular.

Overall, I loved Queen of Air and Darkness. I didn’t know what to expect going in. I had to think the worse or else, I would have been even more shattered. Queen of Air and Darkness explores family, friend, love, and loyalty to its core. It explores forbidden love and family heartbreak. But with beautiful writing, fantastic characters and a plot that just keeps you guessing, you won’t be able to put the book down. If you have been thinking about picking up this series, please do. There is so much about that I can praise again and again. Clare is able to intertwine many different storylines, effortlessly, that just adds another layer to both her world and her characters.

I can go on talking about this series and Queen of Air and Darkness in particular, but I am going to stop here. I just love, Emma, the Blackthorne family, Christian, Keirian and so many more characters in this series that I don’t know where to begin or stop. But tell me what you think? Have you read Queen of Air and Darkness yet? Did you love it? Are you planning on reading this series? Which series from Cassandra Clare are you excited for next? Let’s Chat.

Butterface and Muffin Top by Avery Flynn | Mini Reviews

Dec 2, 2018

I have seen ‘The Hartigans series’ popping up for a while now. But I never really paid attention to it before, and then I read the synopsis of both and I was immediately taken. These are my types of books, and it doesn’t feature the typical thin, “beautiful” protagonist like most romance books do. So today I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the first two books in the series that are out; Butterface and Muffin Top by Avery Flynn.

Butterface (The Hartigans #1) by Avery Flynn

Pages: 250
Publish date: July 30th 2018
Publisher: Entangled Amara
ASIN: B07DTFT2KT
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

It’s true. I’m not what most people would call “pretty” and, well, high school was rough. Fast forward ten years and life is good…

Until a bunch of jerks think it’s hilarious to put the “butterface” (AKA me) on a wedding Kiss Cam with the hottest guy ever—and that old humiliation hits hard.

I recognize him immediately. The hottest cop in Waterbury and totally out of my league.

But then he kisses me. And we totally forget the room, the crowd, everything. Then he tells everyone we’ve been dating for months.

Soon everything starts to feel too real, from adorable fights over “necessary” tools to fix my broken porch to surviving a free-for-all dinner with his six siblings to picking up where our last kiss left off.

But there’s something he’s not telling me about why he’s really hanging around, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my mob-connected brothers.

Because this is not a make-over story, and Cinderella is only a fairy tale…

Butterface:

I hadn’t picked up a book by Avery Flynn (I think) before I started Butterface, and I was slightly disappointed. While I did enjoy reading it, I didn’t fall in love with it, like I thought I would. But I still did really enjoy it.

Butterface by Avery Flynn follows Gina Luca who’s life growing up came with relentless cruel because of the way that she looked. Overcoming that as an adult Gina has grown to stand up for herself and live with who she is. She has a thriving wedding planning business and some great friends. When a kiss cam falls on her and Police Detective, Ford Hartigan, things get a little out of hand.

Now Gina and Ford are fake dating, and both are getting something out it. Gina doesn’t have her brothers on her back, and Ford well he might just get the biggest break of his career. But true feelings do start to get to play with them both. But is it even real?

I really liked what Avery Flynn did do with Gina’s characterisation. While she didn’t need a man to make her life better, or make her feel pretty. Ford was used to help remind Gina, that all she needed to be was herself. Gina was also an intriguing character on her own. I liked that throughout the novel she is really able to stand up for herself, but also let her walls down and let Ford in.

Another thing that Avery Flynn does is remind us how cruel the world can be. How horrible some people are with how people look. There are some scenes that really tore me apart. Sometimes these scenes were really hard to get through and I did have to stop for a while.

The romance in Butterface wasn’t my favourite. At times I found Ford very hard to like therefore making the romance hard to love. In saying that I was able to feel the chemistry between Gina and Ford and I did like that it took a while for them to admit to one another, that there were feelings.

Overall, I enjoyed Butterface by Avery Flynn. It was an easy read, that explores not the typical romance. Thought it does utilize classic romance tropes to move the story forward. Gina and Ford were both interesting characters that gave the story substance.

Muffin Top (The Hartigans #2) by Avery Flynn

Pages: 216
Publish date: October 29, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Amara
ISBN: B07FSJ6SZH
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

The only thing about me that’s a size zero is the filter on my mouth. I’ve got a big personality, a big rack, and a big number on the scale. And I’m perfectly fine with that.

But when some random guy suggests I might not be eating alone if I’d ordered a salad instead of a hamburger I’m shocked silent, which is a feat, trust me.

That brings us to one sexy fireman named Frankie Hartigan. He’s hot. He’s funny… And he’s just apologized for being late for our “date” then glared at the fat-shaming jerk. Next thing I know, he’s sitting down and ordering himself dinner.

I have no problem telling him I don’t need a pity date… unless of course it’s to my high school reunion next week. Oops where did that last bit come from? And what do I do now that he’s said yes?!

Because this is no make-over story, and I think Frankie is using me for something. I just have to figure out what…

Muffin Top:

I liked Muffin Top, so much better than the first book in this series. I was able to connect with the characters and story more, and that only made it a better read.

Muffin Top by Avery Flynn follows protagonist Lucy Kavanagh, a very successful woman who works in PR for crisis communication. She is strong, and will always stand up for herself. But when a guy tells her that she should be eating a salad instead of a burger, she needed to lose weight and then she might not be living alone- let’s just say that she is in shock. But then Frankie Hartigan steps in and he is now Lucy’s date.

From one fake date, to going to Lucy’s high school reunion the following week. Lucy and Frankie are in for some trouble. From road trips, small hotel rooms, and high school bullies it’s going to be a hell of a ride.

I was able to connect so much more with Lucy in Muffin Top from the very start. I’m a bigger woman and man do I love my food, and while I have never really experienced an event like Lucy’s, society expectations are still the same. I loved that Lucy was unapologetic, she didn’t let people bring her down too much. But Lucy was still self-conscious and making the novel more real. One of the main reasons why I did enjoy Lucy so much, was her determination for her job and the way that she made a name for herself.

I also enjoyed Frankie in Muffin Top. Avery Flynn was able to make him different from his brother but also share the same traits as a Hartigan’s and that made me happy. Frankie is very job-driven and doesn’t really make time for himself. So this road trip is not only a way to make his boss happy, but also experience something different. While Frankie is very much a ladies man, Lucy tests the way that he thinks and feels.

The romance in Muffin Top was slow, novel-wise, but did move quite fast as a timeline in the story. But it was still full of sparks, heat and made me want to keep on reading. It was nice at times that Lucy’s weight wasn’t made a big deal about between Frankie and Lucy herself. It was just a normal romance. There were times where Lucy’s weight did make her second guess why Frankie would like her, but that was quickly overcome.

Overall, I really liked Muffin Top by Avery Flynn. It was engaging, entertaining and had me wanting more. I loved that family was a really big theme of this novel and much of the Hartigan series. Lucy and Frankie were hot on fire, and that just made the novel that more sweet. If you are looking for a romance novel, that you can just fall into, then this is for you.

Have you read Butterface and Muffin Top by Avery Flynn? What did you think? Are you planning on reading these? What are some of your recent favourite romances that you had read? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: Fireworks by Sarina Bowen

Nov 14, 2018

Fireworks (True North #6) by Sarina Bowen

Pages: 343
Publish date: November 13, 2018
Publisher: Tuxbury Publishing, LLC
ISBN: B07H22C3YL
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Skye Copeland is on paid leave from her broadcasting job after accidentally drawing a pecker on the traffic map.

Let that sink in. Like it’s her fault the traffic pattern that day created a perfect schlong?

Skye isn’t laughing. She needs this job. And that’s the only reason she’s agreed to chase down a story in her least favorite place—that hell on earth known as Vermont.

A quick trip. In and out. Much like – never mind. Skye can sneak into the town that once tried to break her, get the story and get back into the good graces of her producer. Easy peasy.

Except things go sideways even as she sets foot over the county line. Her step-sister is on the run from a violent drug dealer. And the cop on the case is none other than Benito Rossi, the man who broke her teenage heart.

His dark brown eyes still tear her apart. And even as she steels herself to finally tell him off after twelve years, the old fireworks are still there.

Things are about to go boom.

Fireworks:

I received an e-arc of Fireworks by Sarina Bowen from the author for review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

If you’ve been here a while, then you know that I love Sarina Bowen books, so when I heard she was writing another True North novel, I nearly screamed. And then when I heard it was about Benito I nearly jumped out of my seat. I love learning more about the Rossi and Shipley family, and Fireworks really added another depth to these family in Vermont.

Fireworks follows protagonist Skye Copeland as she arrives back in Vermont, a place where she never thought she would step back in to. She left this town for a reason, but after an incident at work, she wants to hide away for a little while. But this town doesn’t just hide secrets, but also Benito Rossi. The one person who she gave her heart too and he broke it. She thought she would be in and out, no one would know that she’s there, but things don’t go to plan and boy are we in for a ride.

I really enjoyed Fireworks, it had the classic Sarina Bowen romance, with a little mystery intertwined. And while I didn’t love it as much as her previous books in the ‘True North,’ series, it was still engaging and addicting as much as her other books.

I’m still not sure how I feel about Skye, for the most part, I really liked her. I loved getting to know, getting to know her story. And gosh some of the things that happened to her broke my little heart. And while saying all this I wanted Skye to be a little more vulnerable. She was so closed off because of her child and teenhood, that it really played with who she was. And who she let in.

As Fireworks goes on, Skye’s wall so breaks down and the reader is able to see a different side of her. I loved that Skye was hella strong. She had been through so much, but she pushed and pushed and go to where she is in the book. In saying that I hated her work situation. I hated the way that she was treated and wished she had left. But then I also understand why she didn’t.

And while I thought I would love Benito, I didn’t. I did like him, but his possessive nature at times wasn’t my favourite. Okay, not possessive, but too worried about Skye’s safety that it felt suffocating. Other than that I really enjoyed Ben. I liked that he liked his job, that he would do anything for his family. He was sweet and caring and just made my heart happy. And while he was protective, he was also supportive and that just made me smile.

I really did enjoy the romance in Fireworks. It’s a second chance romance that just squeezes my hearts to bits. It’s got that classic Sarina Bowne, tension and anticipation, and the romance blows me away. Ben and Skye were so cute together and they just feel right back into each other. I adored that we got to see the flashbacks of how they were like together before and I thought it created a great sense of their relationship up until now. The reader is able to see Ben and Skye fall back in love with one another but is also able to see what is keeping them apart.

What one of my most favourite parts of this book, is the flashbacks. I think it added just another layer to this novel. The reader is able to see Ben and Skye falling in love with each other twice and it was great. The flashbacks, however, are very hard to read. She went through a lot as a teen, things that NO one should ever go through. But I understand why Sarina Bowen also included those scenes. Because I know that I was able to understand Skye a whole lot better.

The notion of family is a big theme in Fireworks, much like her other books. Ben is not only apart of the Rossi family, but also the Shipley family and together they are a force. I loved seeing characters from previous books interacting with one another. Family is so important to me, so seeing that in books, just makes me happy and I can connect with characters a whole lot more. Nevertheless, we also see bad family relationships throughout Fireworks, but I think it worked in favor of the novel.

Overall, I really enjoyed Fireworks by Sarina Bowen. It explores second chances, family and trusting in yourself. It has a little mystery, a little love and lots of lots of Sarina Bowen charm. Ben and Skye test each other, but in the end, they both know they love one another. Fireworks is a great addition to the True North series and I for one cannot wait for more.

Have you read Fireworks by Sarina Bowen? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What is your favourite romance trope? Let’s Chat!